The present invention relates to software programs and more particularly to a software program for interactively self-diagnosing.
Traditional eye exams are administered by an eye doctor. The patient looks at an eye chart on the wall in the doctor""s office. The doctor places a series of different lenses between the patient""s eyes and the eye chart. As the doctor changes the lenses back and forth, the patient provides verbal feedback to the doctor as to which lens is clearer. Once the appropriate lenses are determined by the doctor, the doctor places these lenses between the patient and the eye chart and asks the patient to read a particular line on the eye chart to verify the lenses are the correct lenses for the patient""s particular vision. Upon verification, the doctor writes a prescription that the patient takes to an eyeglass retailer. The patient selects desirable frames and the retailer grinds the lens and inserts them into the frame or outsources the work of making the eyeglasses for the patient. These eye exams are relatively expensive and time consuming.
In some instances, different sized eye charts have been placed on the Internet with corresponding prescriptions to correct the user""s vision based on which eye chart is most readable. These primitive charts have many disadvantages. For example, these eye charts do not account for any user parameter""s, such as the user""s monitor size, the user""s monitor resolution, and how far away the user is sitting from the monitor. In addition, these charts are fixed in size and therefore allow limited flexibility in the diagnosis of the user""s vision. Also, the ordering of eyeglasses does not allow for different prescriptions for each eye.
Therefore, improvements are desirable.
In one aspect of the present invention, a method of determining an eyeglass prescription for correcting a user""s vision is disclosed. The method comprises prompting the user for selective parameters; configuring an eye chart for display based on the selective parameters; receiving sizing input from the user as the user increases or decreases the size of the eye chart until the eye chart appears clear; reconfiguring the eye chart based on the received sizing input; comparing the reconfigured eye charge to the configured eye chart; and determining the eyeglass prescription for correcting the user""s vision based on the comparison between the reconfigured eye chart and the configured eye chart.
Another aspect of the present invention includes a system for determining an eyeglass prescription for correcting a user""s vision. The system comprises a parameter module, a configure module, a receive module, a reconfigure module, a compare module, and a prescription module. The parameter module prompts the user for selective parameters. The configure module configures the eye chart for display based on the selective parameters. The receive module receives sizing input from the user as the user increases or decreases the size of the eye chart until the eye chart appears clear. The reconfigure module reconfigures the eye chart based on the received sizing input. The compare module compares the reconfigured eye chart to the configured eye chart. The prescription module determines the eyeglass prescription for correcting the user""s vision based on comparison between the reconfigured eye chart and the configured eye chart.
Another aspect of the present invention includes a computer program storage medium readable by a computing system and coding computer program instructions for executing a computer process for determining an eyeglass prescription for correcting the user""s vision. The computer process is analogous to the method described above.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a computer readable signal embodying a carrier wave readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program instructions for executing a computer process for determining an eyeglass prescription for correcting a user""s vision. The computer process is analogous to the method described above.